“I appreciate the thought,” Crow shook his head. “But it isn’t kindness that stays my hand. I’ve been in many situations where I’ve wished I could kill, for my own sake as well as for others’.” He absently traced his forearm with his free hand, thinking of all the other scars he had obtained through the years from close encounters with men who were not as ‘kind’ as he was. His hematophobia had hindered him in many desperate situations. In fact, he was probably only still alive because of how cautious he was to avoid any sort of fighting to begin with. He considered the fear to be a curse, not a blessing.

He met Penelope’s gaze again as she went on to apologize for everything the knights had done. “I’m sorry it happened too,” he said in quiet agreement. “As far as I know, that village is still decimated to this day. No one has gone to repopulate it, because most peasants in the outer villages believe it’s cursed or haunted. Some of them even put up shrines nearby to ward off spirits so travelers can pass safely through the area.” He sighed and wrapped an arm around Penelope, pulling her close to himself. “As terrible as it was though, it’s in the past. There’s nothing anyone can do to change it.”

Crow took a moment to think about the last thing Penelope said to him before responding. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hate you at first,” he said slowly. “Almost all peasants in the outer villages aren’t fond of knights. The massacre in that village was extreme, but we’ve all seen the worst of the worst when it comes to knights. So, as you can imagine, I wasn’t thrilled to find out I would be going on this journey with three of you.”

He leaned his head against hers, remembering the course of their trip to Younis, “But… the longer we traveled together, the more I realized you weren’t like the knights I had dealt with in the past. You fascinated me. I couldn’t figure you out. You seemed to think more like I do than like a noble would, even though that’s the world you came from.” He drew back from her slightly to meet her eyes and smiled. “Somewhere along the line, that fascination turned into attraction, and that attraction into love.” He touched his lips to hers in a soft kiss. “I don’t care that you’re a knight and a noblewoman. To me, you’re Penelope: the woman I fell in love with.”